


Love Like a Butterfly

by tsukkuyomi



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, also a cute little goblin named Wisp, and Jareth wants to stalk Sarah but will settle for teaching Tsuki how to be a king, au where Tsuki is the queen of a kingdom of demons and didn't know it, in progress, kingdom of demons, kingdom of goblins, no seriously, this is a friendship fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-12
Updated: 2016-01-29
Packaged: 2018-05-13 08:48:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5702338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsukkuyomi/pseuds/tsukkuyomi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are lessons in life that sometimes even immortals never fully learn. Sometimes even especially them. Lessons like what to do when you love someone who never even sees you as anything less than a monster. The Goblin King who always takes what he wants, yet can never get what he most desires, finds lessons like this very difficult to understand but the would-be queen of another kingdom might be helpful in guiding him in learning. As long as he's willing to learn.</p><p>(Jareth/OC friendship)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> (So this fic was started in 2013 originally and then abandoned because the second chapter wouldn't be written. Then the terrible happened, and in memoriam of the mortal aspect I picked up the trail again and wrote promptly the entirety of chapter two XD Please don't flame, please try to enjoy and give some comments, thoughts, things that won't hurt my fragile feelings; our Goblin King has fallen after all
> 
> And with no further ado, let us set the Butterfly free and let the stories unravel....)

The reasons for the Goblin King himself being out in the Aboveground at that time of night, so far from where his beloved Sarah's house even was, so far from his usual places to hide and watch, were probably more simple than he cared to think; why he of all people had decided to take on the task put up in the air by the King of the entire Underground could easily be explained by it. He needed a distraction. That was the reason, the only reason; many simply believed that it made logical sense that the Goblin King, who ruled the lost, the forgotten, the ones left behind, would be sent to retrieve this particular person, but even they had to admit that he being so willing to do so, even when it had nothing to do with the human girl he found himself so enamored with, was quite perplexing still.

But once more he needed the distraction; he loved her, he really did, with every fiber of his being and every moment of the day, and that was the biggest issue. Because he loved her so completely and never got any love in return; sure he didn't exactly go about showing or expressing said love every well, he'd admit to it being wrong to kidnap and hold her baby brother hostage though he found he rather enjoyed watching Toby and as such was always listening for when Sarah, in her moments of exhaustion and exasperation, would wish him away again. He'd already claimed the boy again twice, once during a rather uncomfortably hot summer day when the infant couldn't stop screaming and another during important test studying when even the occasional crying had worn at nerves already frayed to ends; each time Sarah had come and gotten Toby back of course but not before Jareth had gotten some quality time with the child. He reacted so positively to the goblins after all and seemed to enjoy getting thrown thirty feet in the air as long as he got caught; the third time he'd been rescued actually the boy started crying, as did the goblins. A compromise had to be made and Toby was allowed to come back every so often to play and while that did please Jareth a bit, as it allowed him to both watch the rather precocious child and see his dear Sarah more often, it also made it worse. Because it still was that the human girl never seemed to acknowledge his feelings for her; she acted still like he was some sort of monster, evil despite the fact that no harm had come to either her or her brother. Would never have come to either her or her brother. Yet that didn't reach her.

So when during the annual meeting of the rulers of the Underworld he had heard of this current issue, he had done something unexpected of him; he volunteered to go and thus found himself sitting out in the cold night air of the humans' world in his owl form, waiting for a sign of the one he was searching out. According to the information, and there wasn't much, the child he sought was not human or at least not fully so; he had heard about the kingdom they belonged to, a strange realm of darkness and light, full of creatures that looked human at times but were anything but. The demon kingdom, not all that far from the lands of the goblins and the Labyrinth in reality; their king had gone missing quite a while before, as Jareth remembered, and no one had seen hide nor hair of him since. The Goblin King had never fully understood, known or truthfully cared about the reasons but one rumor, that apparently was true, had struck him; that the demon king had abandoned his land, his powers, everything all for the love of a human woman. The child was the proof of it and obviously this was something for Jareth to feel a bit jealous over; his own love for a mortal wasn't even acknowledged, not to even mentioned returned, and yet there had been another like him who had loved a human as well and found it returned in full. Owl feathers ruffled in frustration at this thought and if he could he would have frowned; the thought didn't stay for long, soon banished by something. A person was approaching the house he was watching, a house he was sure was where the child lived; his attention was drawn again and he noticed it was a female, a girl maybe a year or so older than his Sarah. Long black hair tied up in a ponytail, wearing what seemed to be a slightly baggy t-shirt and jeans with a messenger bag slung across her body and what looked to be a long blue bag slung the opposite direction; she looked normal enough, if not a bit tomboyish, and for a moment Jareth felt his guard lower. Then the girl stopped before the house and turned a bit, looking through her bag for something and he noticed something about her; she wore glasses and behind the clear lenses her eyes were a vibrant red, a color no mortal should have. An eye color known to be found though in the bloodline of a certain missing king.

Ruffling his feathers again, the owl king took off from his tree branch approaching the house and the girl; she pulled out a key, moving to unlock the door when the sound of wings caught her attention and she turned in time to see something magical. The owl became a man, gently floating to the ground, his cape fluttering in just the slightest way; to his surprise she didn't look startled or anything by him. She was sort of surprised she wasn't startled either truthfully.

"Hello," she said taking the initiative; her voice was clear and unafraid, seeming to be intrigued but not confused by him.

"Greetings," he responded and smiled a bit in his way before giving the slightest of bows, "May I come in?"

"Do you have a reason to come in?" It was something not often spoken to him. Then again he didn't often ask to enter someone's house; he would anyway when he came to grant theirs wish of taking something of theirs away. He was taken aback by it and heard in her voice a sort of stubborn strength that reminded him of the girl he loved; smiling a bit, he nodded, "I am hoping to talk to you and going inside seems like the best recourse."

She seemed to be think on that for a moment or so, "I don't know you; why should I trust you in my house?"

"I mean you no harm; I'm simply here about something involving your father." That got to her; he saw a sort of recognization shine in her eyes and she blinked at Jareth, her mistrust melting in a moment of light happiness and gentle sadness.

"…Come in then," she said finally, the mistrust returning in a smaller amount, and she unlocked the door, opening it for him; he smiled and grabbed the door, holding it from above her hand.

"Ladies first." She stared at him then shrugged and walked inside, followed by the Goblin King; he shut the door behind him.

The inside was quiet, well-furnished and dark until she turned on the light; a pile of mail lay on a table by the doorway next to a vase with a rose on it and a picture frame that was flipped down. Raising an eye at it he reached out to pick it up and look it over but the girl spoke first, calling him over to join her in the next room; he walked over and into the living room. A few books seemed to be scattered in places, obviously the type who enjoyed stories; the fireplace seemed to be already burning and he could tell from her face she wasn't surprised, "Who else lives with you?" He knew for fact that her parents had died, which was why he'd been sent to retrieve this child.

"My brother Akito; he should be sleeping upstairs but obviously he came down to start the fireplace again," she said and sighed; she let it be, sitting down on one of the couches, setting her bags down.

The talk of her having a brother surprised him; there had been nothing on that. Perhaps the boy was the one he was supposed to collect then, not the girl, "Your brother?"

She nodded then threw him a stern look, a look he recognized; Sarah had given it to him enough times for him to know it as the look of a protective sibling, "Yes my brother, don't even try to bother him though; he's not well and I won't have strangers upsetting him with talk of our father. It's not good for his health."

"He's not healthy then," Jareth inquired and stayed standing, looking down at the girl.

"No…he's not. But you didn't come to talk about him; what was it about my father you came here about? He's been dead for quite a while now so if you were wanting to see him then I'm sorry to tell you that he is no longer living," she said and her tone turned sad when she spoke of her father.

He gave a small smile and shook his head, "No, I didn't come to speak to him; I wished to talk to his heir."

She looked at him with some confusion, "Heir? Um I suppose that would be me, I mean I was named such in his will but what would that have to do with you, mister?"

Jareth almost twitched; Mister? Seriously? It made him feel sort of old to be called such and he realized that he hadn't given his name. Nor gotten hers yet, "You may call me Jareth."

"Jareth," she spoke, as if trying out the name.

"Yes. May I inquire your name?"

"Tsukkuyomi, my name is Tsukkuyomi. Though I suppose you could just call me Tsuki," she answered him with mild hesitation.

Jareth smiled and leaned down, taking her hand in his gently. Kissing the top of her hand he spoke softly, "A pleasure, Tsuki my dear."

A blush crossed her face and Tsuki pulled away immediately, frowning slightly at him, "You're strange."

"So I am told at times." He then took a seat beside her, staying close. Or trying as she immediately scooted away, giving them space between them as if bothered with being too close to him; this in it's own way amused the Goblin King and he smirked a bit, "Now then, as you are his heir, I suppose then that makes you the one I'm supposed to bring back with me."

"Bring…back…bring back where?" Tsuki asked, moving even more away, feeling quite uncomfortable with his words.

"Tsuki, do you know who your father was? What he was? What you actually are?"

"My father was Kurohoshi Kokuryuu, he was a private detective who-"

"No, he wasn't."

She frowned, "I'm sure I would know better than a stranger who my father was."

"I doubt he told you the truth," Jareth informed her, "He was Kurohoshi indeed but he was no detective," whatever that was, Jareth wasn't too sure, "he was a king."

She was quiet for a moment, giving him a look that plainly said she thought he was insane; he choose to ignore it as she spoke, her tone anything but believing, "Right. My dad was a king. Where was he king of?"

"Not where so much as what, my dear."

"Then what?"

"He was the King of the Demons, one of the rulers of the Underground, a being far greater than human," he told her and leaned closer, his smirk back in place, "And you, my sweet, as his heir, are now the new ruler in his place, the Demon Queen."

"You must be joking," she said and laughed a bit, "Or insane. I mean really, demons? Simply fairy tales and legends; I don't really believe in any of that."

He clicked his tongue disapprovingly and shook his head, "I'm sure your subjects will be very sad to hear their own queen doesn't believe in them."

She rolled her eyes, "Come on, it's not real. Why should I believe you? It's not like I've ever seen a demon before."

"Hm, well, what if you saw something else unbelievable, something that's 'simply fairy tales and legends', would that maybe open up your mind a little to the possibility?" Jareth inquired of her.

Tsuki shrugged a little, "Like what?"

"Like how about…a goblin?"

"A goblin? Hm…fine. If you can show me a goblin then I'll at least admit that demons could exist." Taking it as both a victory and a challenge, the king's smirk grew a little and once more he was on his feet; he held out a hand to her, "Then would you like to see my Labyrinth?"

She furrowed her brow, obviously confused by his apparent change in subject, "I…suppose?"

"Is that a wish?"

"I guess," Tsuki said, starting to feel uncomfortable again.

"Then say so." He couldn't just transport her there after all without a wish of some sort of hers; the Aboveground could be so restricting in that fashion.

Hesitating she didn't speak for a moment, and he thought she never would say it, until she finally spoke, her voice barely a whisper and he could feel the crackling of power as the words left her lips, "I wish to see your Labyrinth."

Smirking a crystal appeared in his hand and the magic did it's work; before they disappeared from the house, Tsuki heard him say one last thing, "As you wish then."


	2. The Will of the King and a Goblin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jareth and Tsuki arrive in the Labyrinth and Tsuki gains a new leg ornament as well as an understanding of what it means to feel the word "home".

The first thing that Tsukkuyomi noticed when she managed to regain herself, and that was a bit of an ordeal after being teleported or whatever the hell just happened to her, was the sound of laughter, strange voices that seemed a combination of a child’s and adult’s. The words were meaningless, and she couldn’t really make them out anyway, but it seemed odd when she had been at home before. The second thing was that there was the smell of chickens, of feathers, and to go with this the next sounds she heard were of chickens squawking as something shot them; more laughter ensued. It was noisy wherever she had ended up and opening an eye to dare to get a look she found that she most definitely wasn’t in her living room; it seemed to be a different room, with a small pit like hole in the middle of the room, and a strange-looking chair. And all around her, laughing, dancing, shooting what seemed to be black chickens with peashooters, were strange creatures; none of them quite looked the same, most considerably smaller than her; some having what looked to be sort of tattered wings. All she was sure of was that they weren’t human, and when they noticed her they all seemed to have the same reaction: they grinned and loudly exclaimed, “Look a girly!~ And Kingy too!”

She frowned a bit and stepped back, bumping into someone; turning she saw it was Jareth. He smirked down at her, amused by her reaction; it wasn’t surprising considering how skeptical she had been before. People tended to have the same reaction to the goblins their first time; slight awkwardness and a feeling of being uncomfortable around them. He had to say though she took it very well, not screaming or looking scared either; she just looked at them then at him and seemed to be waiting for his explanation of this whole thing. It reminded him of before, she hadn't looked all that out of sorts when he had transformed in front of her yet no information had said that she had had any contact with the Underground or any sort of supernatural force. There was, it seemed, a natural impulse, a subconscious part of her mind that made her just look and not flinch; it was amusing truthfully but not important at this very moment.

“These are my subjects,” he told her with a smirk, “You did wish to see my Labyrinth and see a goblin; well here we are and here they are.”

“Your....your subjects are....” she frowned, “Goblins...” She turned to look at the strange creatures, grinning and buzzing about in the sort of hyperactivity only a child, or a thing such as they, could have.

He chuckled. “Well of course; who else would the Goblin King rule over but goblins?”

Tsuki's attention was pulled back to him and he found that her expression didn't change much though there was a smaller tinge of disbelief than before. She looked from him to them and Jareth wondered if she would believe him, especially since he just showed her proof; she had to admit this was pretty impressive. Instead she spoke again, “You are way prettier than they are.”

Jareth did not particularly disagree with this, honestly he would hope he looked better than some of his stunted and grumbly subjects, but he found he had not expected that to be what she choose to say next. He expected anything but it seemed like she skipped over a lot of things, or rather was just choosing to ignore it all right now and focus on something that was only distantly related to the situation on hand. The goblins chatted amongst themselves, some even giggled at her sudden proclamation, and he took the opportunity to kick the nearest one who laughed, sending the cretin flying. The laughing only got louder, this time at their comrade's unfortunate fate; Tsuki watched this, frowned more and leaving Jareth's side she rushed towards where the goblin had landed; both king and subjects watched this with some confusion and surprise. Jareth had known Toby to show kindness towards the goblins on a regular basis, the creatures adored the kid after all, and the goblins liked Sarah too who though she had looked at them some trepidation had warmed well to them. But humans, even ones with extraordinary heritages, did not do this normally; they did not show concern for the forgotten, the lost, these unwanted children, and that was exactly what she did.

Tsuki helped the goblin after it hit the wall, finding it looked more human than she thought of at first when she looked at it up close. It was the size of a child, only about two or three feet tall; it wore ragged clothes that upon closer look seemed to be more medieval in design than any possibly modern fashion; it looked to be boys clothes, tattered and ripped apart as it was, but she did not know whether this was a good way to determine the gender of the wearer. Who even knew what goblins were? The creature before her had human like features, two arms with long fingers, two legs with feet, though only the left foot was visible the right being in a shoe. It had wispy hair that stuck out in all sorts of directions and two long pointed ears that stuck out awkwardly on either side of its head; there was a nose, slightly on the long side but nothing too odd, and a mouth with a pair of sharp canines sticking out. The eyes though were most noticeable to her, even as odd her own always had been, glowing yellow at her, and the goblin and girl both blinked at each other before the former gave her a sheepish look, almost apologetic, “Sorry girly, Wisp did not mean to worry you. You do not need to help Wisp.”

“Wisp,” she said as her only response to the goblin, mulling over the word; her eyebrows furrowed then she turned to look at Jareth, still with a surprised look on his face. She frowned once more and stood up and Jareth found a strange feeling come over him, one he as he was did not find to be familiar but he knew it nevertheless; it was apprehension, it was anxiety, it was fear. She stalked over to him and with a huff addressed the taller, older king, “Why did you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Kick Wisp, make them knock into the wall; why would you do that to one of your subjects?” she asked her voice calm but there was an edge to it.

“Girly,” Wisp spoke up and scrambled over, tripping over their feet as they gripped her pants leg, “Do not anger Kingy....”

“Should I have not punished one of my subjects when they disrespect me?” Jareth asked, ignoring the goblin and raising an eyebrow at the strange girl before him, challenging him.

“There's a difference between punishment and abuse, Jareth,” she said showing no sign of either slowing or shrinking; there was something in her eyes and it made him straighten up in the face of it, “What if you hurt Wisp?”

“I do not care about hurting any of the goblins,” Jareth said though the words had a metal taste to them and he had to resist not to grimace at it.

The grimace did come as she frowned more at him and a growl even left her, the soft sounds of Wisp whimpering and pulling on her leg mixed in; he forced himself, not much but a bit, to lean down to her, face to face with her, and his smirk returned with a slight narrowing of his eyes, “It is not your concern what I do to my subjects; your business is your kingdom and your subjects....Your Majesty.”

There was a tone to the final two words and she seemed to remember, why he had come for her, why he had brought her here, and she blinked, taken aback, and the thing in her eyes disappeared as she stared at him for a moment before looking to Wisp then back at Jareth. Some embarrassment crossed her face as she returned her attention to him and she muttered softly, “I apologize, you're right...”

Though he was glad for the arguments end he was a bit saddened by the disappearance of that thing, it had been amusing and interesting because it was familiar. Honestly he was used to people, a girl standing up to him, because Sarah did that so often and when she did it was amusing and interesting and he loved to watch her reactions and hear her words and tone as she spoke to him scolded him, though being called a monster was not so fun. But this was not Sarah; this was a girl named Tsuki who had power in her blood and who looked nothing like the girl who Jareth ran after so much. He smiled at her now and reaching out her ruffled her hair, a motion to denote their differences and that made her huff in annoyance. “Of course I am. Do you believe now?”

He brought things back to where it began; he brought her to the Labyrinth to show her and though all that had happened so far was her defending a goblin to him he felt maybe now she should be able to believe him now, see he didn't lie. She was what she was and she promised to believe if she was shown the truth. And he'd done that.

“Yeah,” she said though there was a second of hesitation at him, “Demons are possible, you've shown me goblins to prove that.”

He smiled again then turned and started off, laughing. “Let's go.”

She blinked then rushed after him, managing with some difficulty to follow him through the sea of goblins as he went to the door and out it, calling out after him, “Wait, Jareth, what? Where are we going?”

Leading her down a long hallway he did not slow or stop, continuing his pathway and acknowledging her only by musing back at her. “You said you wished to see my Labyrinth; I have not done that yet, shown it to you I mean. I'll give you a tour then we can get down to the real business; it might take a while, I hope you don't have anything of importance to do at home.”

“My brother,” she said and managed, with some running, to catch him, grabbing his sleeve, “I can't leave him at home alone; I told you, he's sickly, I have to go home.”

Jareth finally looked at her again, raising an eyebrow. “Your brother will be fine; my goblins will go get him from your home if you really are so worried.”

The idea of sending the odd creatures to retrieve her brother made tsuki's brow furrow again, not entirely crazy with that idea and he could see that. He looked down and spoke again, “You.”

She blinked, wondering what he meant and then looked to see Wisp. The goblin, no long clinging to her, was nevertheless attached to her side; the goblin was out of breath but standing beside her and looked up as they were addressed by Jareth. The Goblin King spoke once more, “Go make yourself useful and tell a few of the others to go to Tsuki's house and get the boy who lives there and bring him here. You can come back and follow her around more like a lost puppy once you do that.”

Wisp blinked then looked at Tsuki for a moment; she felt as they were waiting for her to do something, acceptance or something, and she nodded, causing the goblin to smile and then nod as well, scurrying away. Tsuki watched Wisp leave then was pulled back to Jareth by his voice, “Always everyone else....”

She turned to him and he continued, “My goblins never cling to me; it's always others, it's the boy or Sarah or you, never me. I'd be insulted if it wasn't weird.”

“Maybe if you didn't hit and kick them they would cling to you too,” she told him; the response she got was another chuckle and he continued to walk, Tsuki following behind once more.

 

By the time Wisp did return the two were outside and the goblin found them standing outside the gates of the Goblin City. Jareth liked to stare out at the Labyrinth like this honestly; though the form was in general terms knowable, the truth was it was never quite the same. Tiny things, big things, everything changed, except that the Labyrinth surrounded the City and the City held the Castle. And beyond the Labyrinth was meadows and wastes and lands beyond sight and the City, settled upon a tall hill today by whim of its king, gave them sight of that beyond. And settling one hand onto her shoulder he gestured out towards the horizon. “Look. If you strain your eyes can you see?”

She looked and squinted. The horizon looked to be just that horizon, and she was about to shake her head but his voice started again, more insistent, more forceful, “No no no, not like that; really look.”

She didn't understand but she tried and suddenly noticed. Shadows, dim and foggy in the distance; an unclearness out in the line of the land but as she focused on it it seemed to get larger, more noticable. Soon she could see it with her eyes wide open and so they were as she glanced upon what looked to be shadows but that something inside told her was much more. It told her, in whispers she didn't know, what it was, and Jareth spoke it's name in a whisper into her ear, drawn close to her shoulder, “Do you see your home in the horizon, your kingdom waiting?”

Part of her still didn't believe but she was forced to face it; before her was a shadow that now dominated the horizon as a strong force and undeniable essence. It was there, it was present, and it was home; he said so and the thing inside her told her it was so and she had to smile though she didn't really mean to. Home. “I can.”

“I see,” he said and smiled at her and patted her head again before turning to see Wisp there; he acknowledged the goblin with a nod and they gripped onto Tsuki's leg, gaining her attention too. He spoke, “The Labyrinth is under my control, it's my kingdom and my will given form; what I feel is what the Labyrinth becomes, what I want is what it takes its form from, it is me. I change it to what I want, whatever I want, but sometimes it acts without my telling it to; that is what it means to be a ruler.”

She looked at him and only nodded, not fully understanding but finding it interesting nevertheless. He nodded too then led her out into the Labyrinth; he figured the best way to explain was to show. He showed her the doors with their knockers and the oubliette, though he pulled her back before she could fall and rolled his eyes as Wisp almost ended up down there themselves, only to have to rescue the poor goblin for Tsuki. He showed her the forest with the Fireys, and he showed her the pathways and hidden ways and things beyond sight; she wandered off at one point and he tried to find her only to locate her arguing with the walls deep below the Labyrinth who tried to warn her only to be questioned. The scene itself was amusing to him, though in general watching the walls get stopped from doing the job he gave them was always amusing; they always got so annoyed and bothered and seeing him they took to apologizing and stumbling, Tsuki crossing her arms and huffing as Jareth realized that his very presence made her ignored. That too was amusing and he took her back to the open air.

The trio, Wisp following every step of the way, stood outside the gates now and Jareth noted that time had passed but as time meant little to him really he couldn't tell nor care how much. Tsuki was chasing pixies, Wisp running about at her side, and as she caught one, getting bitten, Jareth smirked and struck it down with a gesture of his hand. Tsuki frowned and looked at the unconscious creature in her hands before dropping it and grabbing another, a small path of knocked out pixies scattered across the ground soon enough. Jareth at first wondered why she kept doing it but he realized that Tsuki had no reason; the sun was set now, as it sometimes did in the Labyrinth, and he picked up on the pixies by its tiny leg, musing aloud, “Ready to go back to the castle?”

“Am I not allowed to go home yet?” He figured she meant the Aboveground place but he knew she was aware of her home here too; either way he shook his head, “Part of my duty as the one who went to get you to teach you what to do now; I told you about the Labyrinth because it is part of my duty as king. You have a similar duty, though honestly I know little of your kingdom; demons never interested me, not much more than as something else in the horizon. I barely noticed your father wasn't there but now that you're here I have to teach you how to be a ruler. You'll be staying here in the Labyrinth for another day or two before moving into your home.”

Tsuki watched him and though she was still apprehensive about this whole thing, being what he said she was was, about being uprooted, about this reality opened before her, she didn't really know a reason to say “No” to his words. Not other than because she was apprehensive and didn't know what to do next. So instead she shrugged and he took that as her way of saying “Yes” instead.

Part one was now over: getting the girl and getting her to understand his situation and hers. Jareth wasn't sure if he wanted to look forward to part two or not.


	3. Enter the Other Heir

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jareth gets bad vibes from a sickly boy but Tsuki keeps giving him glares. Also there are chickens. But not much else.

It struck Jareth, when they had arrived back in the castle to find the goblins swarmed around a newcomer who he could only guess at the identity of, that Tsuki's brother and her were remarkably visibly alike. The boy, surrounded by Jareth's goblins and actually smiling at them, had the same long black hair, his laying untied down his back; they had the same eyes, though closer look made it clear Akito's were a darker red than Tsuki's. They had the same sort of shape to their face but his was paler and he was thinner than she was; he looked to be thinner than Jareth, his long sleeve shirt and pants mostly hanging off his body, and it seemed to the Goblin King that the boy was more than just sickly. He was dying, it hung on him, clung to his skin, and though the boy was smiling and talking gently to the goblins, and Jareth saw the happiness in his new charge's eyes as she saw him and ran over to him with Wisp as usual at her feet, and he saw the way the other Kokuryuu smiled at his sibling too and hugged her, the Goblin King wasn't fooled and he was aware of why he wasn't the heir. Akito Kokuryuu was destined to die a human death, sooner still; his sister Tsuki was only one between the two of them to be named, who could be heir, because Akito would die far too soon to be anything but a footnote in history.

He wondered if that knowledge made Tsuki sad; it was not simply the idea of the girl he had newly stolen away as being sad that intrigued him, nor did it bother him, but rather an inquiry to know. What was it she saw when she looked at her brother, was it fundamentally different than how Jareth saw Akito or anyone else, how Jareth saw anyone? What lingered in the minds of humans, even half ones like the girl, when they gazed upon others that was not amusement or annoyance or as he felt for Sarah a deep painful love? Or perhaps, was it love that she saw when she looked at her brother, like the love Sarah felt for Toby? Jareth did not know.

“Jareth.” Her voice called him out of his thoughts and the Goblin King looked at her as Tsuki, turned to face him, Akito standing beside her and regarding him with a slight tilt of the head and quizzical look.

Jareth stared for all of a minute before smiling once more and stepping towards her, regarding Akito with interest. “So this is your brother? You two really do look remarkably alike.”

“So we've been told,” Tsuki said with the air of someone being polite only for the sake of it; obviously this was something so common it left her cold.

Akito smiled though, even at Jareth, and the warmth of the smile left him taken aback some. Such childlike kindness in those eyes was reflected but this was no child; it was unnerving more than welcome but he swallowed it back as the person in question spoke, his voice a soft tenor akin to Tsuki's own voice, “Good evening Your Majesty. Your subjects were telling me about you. I must say I've never met a Goblin King before.”

The idea that his subjects could tell anyone anything coherent was ridiculous, the majority of the creatures who saw his throne room as a party room were either too drunk to form words or their minds were that of young children still: hence the “Kingy” and “girly” business. He glanced at the goblins themselves, raiisng an eyebrow at them and his subjects scurried around, talking all at once and making as always no sense until he raised a hand, silencing them immediately and turned back to Akito before him. He gave him a smile though it was a cold and cruel and forced thing. “Well now you have. It is...nice to meet you, Akito.”

The boy himself seemed to take it kindly and bowed his head slightly in form of respect. Jareth happened to notice Tsuki who looked at him with a rather annoyed look and it occurred to the king that she had read what Akito had not in Jareth's expression, and the Goblin King simply gave her a smile, unbothered and unconcerned by the way she looked at him. She would understand soon though that she noticed it, that she had paid attention was certainly not unwelcome sight. 

For now though it was night and the goblins were bouncing as they did in the night; thousands of years as king and he still found it surprising that they could even more energetic at night. He waved a hand dismissively and they all scurried out of the room, all save Wisp who kept their vigil beside Tsuki; Jareth did nothing to stop the goblin and kept his attention on the siblings before him. “You know why you were brought here, Akito?”

He shook his head and turned to his sister, obviously waiting for her to tell him herself. She looked embarrassed and hesitant, rubbing her head some and looking away. “Um well...”

“Your father was the king of demons and your sister is going to be their new ruler,” Jareth said with all the delicacy of ripping a bandaid off an arm.

Tsuki gave him another disapproving look and Akito blinked. “Oh...really?”

There was a distinct lack of disbelief and it bothered Jareth more; the goblin king gave the same smile as before and nodded. “Really. I am going to teach her how to rule and since she did not wish to leave you alone back in your old home, I had my goblins go retrieve you. You'll be staying here too while she's here I suppose.”

Having met the sickly boy now he did not find the idea of keeping himself around very appetizing; his whole being just rejected him and while it seemed excessive to even him he did not wish to question777 what were in their core his instincts. The instincts of a king, of a ruler, were not something that one could dismiss carelessly after all. But Tsuki was currently his charge, his to teach and as long as she was around so it seemed would be her brother and this he would need to just accept. Not like but accept, though Tsuki likely would have words for him treating her brother in any way she might seem unkind or wrong; he was used to Sarah's own way of doing that, he was prepared for whatever it may be that Tsuki brought to the table on that front, especially in light of her reaction to his treatment of the goblins and Wisp in particularly before.

Akito seemed to accept this new fact of life without worry, nodding and smiling some before looking upon his sister again. “Well as long as I do not have to leave Tsuki's side, I suppose it doesn't matter where we are.”

She smiled in return and it was nearly enough to make the Goblin King retch. But he kept this to himself and gestured towards the door. “It is late and though my goblins might be happy to wander about and cause mayhem, I am certain you two are wanting to sleep.”

Honestly he wasn't too sure on Tsuki; she seemed to look towards the large open space in the throne room that looked out over the Labyrinth instead of towards the door, and he could see her eyes reflect the shadows that even in the night it appeared were only too visible to her. And the thing in her eyes was there again and there was no slumber in her eyes; she was awake now, perhaps more than she had been before.

He did not know himself how true this was, how much her skin seemed to prick in the night and she felt an awareness she didn't know but that did not feel unwanted fill her veins in place of blood. She did not wish for sleep but the unconscious was fought by the focused and her mind told her that while she might not Akito did. Her brother needed his sleep and that honestly she needed it too, she'd been awake how long? How long since she woke in the Aboveground? How many hours since meeting Jareth had passed? It was unnatural and her brain told her sleep. But her mind told her to explore.

Turning to Jareth with hesitation, forcing her head towards him, she nodded. “Yeah, sleep sounds good.”

“Well then,” Jareth said and smiled, opening the door, “Follow me and I will show you to where you two will be staying until you can go home.”

Akito looked to Tsuki as she walked over to the Goblin King and followed him out into the hallway. Softly he spoke up as he caught up to the two, walking beside his sister, “So we get to go back to the house after all? I thought you were going to be a queen, Tsuki.”

“Not that home,” Tsuki told him gently and Jareth rolled his eyes some; admittedly the boy hadn't seen the kingdom yet, he hadn't felt what Tsuki had when she'd seen what was her new land, but it didn't change that it had to be obvious that they wouldn't be going back to the Aboveground, or Tsuki wouldn't. Maybe Akito could but the girl was theirs now, she was one of the Underground rulers now and she would be staying.

The hallways of the castle were a lot like the Labyrinth itself; many ways to go but very few that meant anything or went anywhere. The state of things made sense to him, Jareth never got lost unless in the sort of mood where the mind would be willing to forget and things got muddled and then he always got lost but he always found his way in the end. Else how would he be there to guide the two Kokuryuu? But for them they did not know this; Tsuki had a feeling of it, she had seen the Labyrinth, she had heard his explanation of how it worked and why it worked and it seemed logical to think that the castle in which he lived and ruled from would follow similar rules. Akito not so much and found himself a bit confused as they walked down a hallway, turned around, walked the opposite direction and managed to find their way to an entirely different hallway; he clung to Tsuki's arm and she had to walk a bit slower, lagging behind Jareth as the two tried to follow. This didn't actually escape his notice, he was quite aware of what was going on, but he neither slowed nor spoke, just continued forward with the knowledge that they wouldn't be lost either. He'd just find them again if they did.

Nor did it escape his attention their follower; as they had for a while now Wisp walked at Tsuki's feet, seeming even now unwilling to leave the side of the girl. Once more it crossed his mind this odd common sight; goblins followed who they would. They were required to obey him, required to fear him, but they did not follow him willingly. Jareth had to force them, command them, and though they fought to defend themselves, for the thrill of the battle, for the amusement of a break in the everyday insanity, they did not fight for him. The goblins preferred Sarah or Tsuki who showed them kindness; they preferred Toby who laughed and played with them in the way a child would; they did not prefer Jareth who kicked them and demeaned them and showed them only enough kindness so as to further what he wanted. To him this was what was necessary, to be the Goblin King was to be cruel, but watching Wisp look up at Tsuki with such a look that the goblin never gave him, it left a bad taste in his mouth. Like a peach gone bad, who only gave the worst of nightmares instead of the sweetest of dreams. This though was not to be spoken or expressed; it did not matter, there was no reason to dwell. He walked on without another thought to the goblin or any goblin.

A set of double doors was waiting at the end of the line, and for it's credit it was literally at the end of the hallway as well. He stopped, standing before them and the two stopped soon after, watching him as he hesitated in speaking, “Here you go; admittedly I only expected one guest so you two will need to share but I'm sure as siblings you won't mind.”

Siblings did that, didn't they? They shared rooms? He didn't really know; of course he had siblings but what it had been living with any had become over time more than a little blurry. Whatever it had been he doubted he had been as unnerving as Akito; he only looked at Tsuki at this point and she nodded, not looking at him though. Her eyes were set on Jareth, watching him carefully as if suspecting a trap. But of course that would be silly, it would not be smart of him if he tried to trap her now, before she could understand how to fight back, before she was worth playing with like that. No, until she was a worthy opponent she was not going to see the traps he could lay, the games he could play. He settled for smiling at her, trying so hard just to seem innocent but the look she gave him, eyes narrowed, proved that she wasn't anywhere near convinced. Or maybe fooled.

Akito pulled on her sleeve towards the doors. Even without the words she seemed to understand and glancing at Jareth again she then opened the doors and let her brother go in first. From what she could see it was a rather nice room, large with a dresser and vanity, a fourposter canopy bed on the other side of the room that even from where she was she could tell would easily fit both of them; it was definitely nicer than her room in her house, something she did expect from some sort of fantasy adventure straight out a book or movie. But this was real, she had to believe at least; her brother walked inside and disappeared onto the bed, Wisp following soon after to explore the room, much to the eye rolling of Jareth. Tsuki hesitated for a moment before turning to Jareth. The king was watching her and he raised an eyebrow at her. “Is something wrong with the room? I expect it's nothing like what you are used to but still I don't think that would be a bad thing.”

“You'd be cuter if you didn't open your mouth,” she said straightfaced and he blinked, seriously appearing taken aback by this and then he started to laugh.

Honestly he just thought it amusing; he'd be tempted to think all human girls were sharp tongued, Sarah certainly was, but he had met enough to know it wasn't like that. But being told underhandedly like that to shut up, it was hard not to laugh at the fledgling queen who dared talk like that to him in his own castle. He smirked once done laughing and leaned down to her, face to face. “You will find that mouthing off to the wrong person will not end in laughter so often now that you're royalty. Watch what you say and who you say it to or you will not like the consequences.”

“Just figured I'd get in one possibly last snide remark before I have to start filtering myself more,” Tsuki responded without missing a beat and he half expected her to stick her tongue out at him, though that may be more the fact the majority of the people he dealt with on a regular basis were just that kind.

She didn't though, she did seem to try to control herself on that front; instead she choose to lean in and kiss his cheek, a light touch before pulling away and turning to go into the room. She spoke over her shoulder, “Thanks by the way, for putting up with me and my brother while I learn what I need to. Also don't lean into girl's faces like that, it's creepy.”

Tsuki closed the door behind her and Jareth had to admit to being left sort of dumbfounded. Primarily because she thanked him, it seemed like such a silly and small thing really, but being called creepy wasn't something he was used to either. Pretty maybe, cruel, evil, but not creepy. With a light shrug he turned on his heel and hummed to himself as he walked away and towards his own rooms; even Goblin Kings needed to sleep.

 

The next day was greeted with exactly what one might expect: a bunch of roosters loudly crowing outside, the sun blazing through the window and a small swarm of the black chickens that infested the Labyrinth flying in through the window to bother anyone in the room. Wisp was the first to wake, being a goblin of the kingdom and well-aware of these events; they stirred from the armchair they had nested in the night before and as one chicken flew about pass them, they frowned, reached out and grabbed it by the throat. Wisp grumbled, jumping out of the chair and grabbing more chickens, “Shush chickens, girlie and sick boy are sleeping; Wisp will put you back outside but you have to be quiet.”

The chickens, being chickens, didn't understand and struggled and ran and clucked loudly, making the goblin chase them around, still carrying around the ones they managed to catch. The noise continued on for quite a while, Wisp's calls for the chickens to stop and crashing about as they tried to grab them, the chickens running and clucking; Akito was first to wake, whining slightly as he got up but Tsuki was the one to do something.

A chicken was about to jump onto the bed but a sword went flying and the creature screamed as much as a bird could, flying away as the blade got lodged in a wall. The rest of the creatures, as if aware of the darkness they had released upon themselves with their actions, flew out the window; a few almost even took Wisp with them but they managed to let go, landing on the chair instead. The sword stayed stuck and gave the goblin a glance to look at it, a strange sight; it was not a sword as Wisp new, not one of the all-too-big or shabby blades used by others. It was long and thin, the blade catching the light and shimmering; it shone and Wisp couldn't help walking over, trying to grab it, trying to take it, their goblin tendencies about to win out when the blade was pulled out and Wisp looked to see Tsuki standing there, holding the sword by it's handle. The handle was the only worn part, wrapped in tattered cloth that hung off it and covered the entirety of it, from tip to guard; Tsuki moved swiftly and smoothly slipped it into a black lacquer sheath, decorated with a crescent moon engraved near the top of it. After it was sheathed she hung it across her back, looking almost all too comfortable dressed in her clothes from the day before with the sword across her back; she looked at Wisp and she seemed not to recognize them at first then smiled, gently and lightly before leaning down and patting their head. “Hey, good morning Wisp. Did I scare you?”

Wisp blinked then shook their head. “Chickens was scared, Wisp is not scared, Wisp is confused. Is that pretty sword yours?”

Tsuki glanced back at the sword then nodded. “Yeah, it's mine. So do you know what we're supposed to do now that's morning? Are we supposed to wait here for Jareth or go find him or what?”

Wisp furrowed their brow and Tsuki could tell they didn't know; that was a bit troublesome, but she couldn't fault the creature for being unaware. She patted the goblin's head again and then looked over at the bed; Akito had woken up but seemed to have gone back to sleep quickly enough, coughing and shivering in bed. She was tempted almost to get him too, bring him along in case something happened but no, it seemed better to her just to leave him be for now. For many reasons, not least of all being the unknown factor of this place; she knew the Labyrinth was strange and part of Jareth's will but she didn't know how far that went, or to what end.

Opening the door to the room, making sure that at least Wisp was beside her, she stepped outside in look of Jareth to find out what to do next.

And nearly fell down a flight of upside stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (So heeeerrreee, a new chapter XD Hopefully it's good, even if it does end on a cliffhanger. But they should make it easier to write the next chapter I suppose, I have ideas for what happens next. Also if you don't like Akito then don't worry; he's not involved a lot, just wanted to get him introduced for when he does come into play XD)


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